UNCTAD seeks to improve the global, regional and national knowledge of investment and its impact on development.

The Global Investment Trends Monitor provides a timely periodic assessment of global FDI trends and prospects. In order to present the global investment trends clearly, and with a view to meeting user requirements, UNCTAD developed a Global FDI Quarterly Index. This index is based on quarterly data of FDI inflows for 67 countries and economies, which together account for roughly 90 per cent of global FDI flows.

The Investment Policy Monitor reports on national and international investment policies covering countries all around the world. The monitor aims at providing up-to-date information about foreign investment policy issues, and contributes to preparing the ground for future policymaking in the interest of making foreign investment work for growth and development. Through its monitoring of investment policy changes, UNCTAD offers cutting-edge and innovative contributions to investment policy discourse.